Wii U Virtual Console games to feature off-tv play

According to Kotaku, a Nintendo rep has told them that the Wii U Virtual Console is in the works and its games will feature off-tv play, allowing players to experience classic titles solely on the gamepad:

“We do not have any specifics to share at this time. However, we are moving ahead with development of Virtual Console for Wii U, and we plan to make it so you can play it on the Wii U GamePad alone.”

Not certain yet, however, if GameCube games will be part of that list. There is some promise that this might happen though, as Reggie was asked the question by Kotaku whether GameCube titles will come to the Virtual Console. This was his response:

“That is a great question,” he said, smiling. “And personally I would love for that to happen, but we have nothing to announce right now.”

A little vague, I must admit, but hopefully Reggie can help make it happen. Personally, I would love to play GameCube titles like Animal Crossing and Resident Evil on the Gamepad! What games would you like to see on the Wii U Virtual Console?

Around the web

I will fill up the rest of my 28 gigs when they re-introduce the virtual console this way

http://facebook.com/imathlin izzy1985

Im definitely going to have to buy an external hard drive. My Wii U storage is already close to being maxed out.

LonDonE247

a cheap alternative for now my friend is to get a 32gb or 16 or 8gb sdhc card, an then connect it to your wii u rear usb port using a sd usb adapter, the wii u will recognise it, an format it, an use it as memory, this is what i done, as i had a 32gb sdhc lying around, with a sd usb drive to, an now my wii u has plenty of memory for now, i also have a 1tb usb hard drive, but use it for my 2 ps3 consoles, my soft modded wii, my pc, as i have partitions in it, in multiple file formats, but the reason i have not plugged it into my wii u is because at the moment as far as i know the wii u will format the whole drive, an so i will lose all ly movies, songs, pictures, emulators, an wii back ups, so i will have to just buy a new hard drive for the wii, you can get 1tb external hard drives which run off of there own power supply, which is exactly the type nintendo recommends, anyway you can get a western digital 1tb like mine for around £50 to £60 on amazon, an its money well spent, i just hope soon there will be a way to create a partition on my hard drive for the wii u to use, because i dont like the fact nintendo is dictating to me how i can use all y storage in my drive!

http://facebook.com/imathlin izzy1985

Very helpful addvice, thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUYKptJ3wOiYnsvA5tNOT2TQ Blu_J

now thats being cheap, now days since TB are out, you can get 650GB really cheap. i have a 650GB on my Wii Ui got it really cheap online. i put my 2TB on my mac pro. i have plenty of memory for future downloads im ready for anything nintendo throws @ us.. lol… when ever they start throwing that is lol..

audie bowler

you serious i didnt even max my wiis

Clem

Personally I’d find it a little weird if they released Animal Crossing on Virtual Console, just because every game is almost exactly the same with a handful of small upgrades between each version. Also, if they released the GC version, not only would the game be a big downgrade of what people are currently playing, but it would be like they were giving a bunch of NES Virtual Console games away for free with it (for anyone who didn’t play the original, you were able to find loads of NES classics in-game and play them, but they removed that from the second game because they didn’t want it to take sales away from the Wii’s new Virtual Console).

Gabe Hoffman

Figures. The reason we have not seen VC on Wii U yet is likely because Nintendo is busy retooling all the exisitng VC games to work with the Gamepad and testing them to check for any potential bugs.

Jason Carroll

I hope you’re right, but it doesn’t say that anywhere in this article. I will be shocked if you can play the Wii’s VC on the gamepad.

Elem187

If they didn’t need tweaking the VC would have been released already. Do you really think Nintendo wants to keep this supply of money from coming in as soon as possible?

A CEO would be pushing hard for this to complete as this will bring in ALOT more money than releasing any new games or selling consoles…. VC will be a money spigot just like it was on the Wii

Gauru Shiro

I want smash bros melee on gamecube… awesome game

DemonRoach

Hooooooooooooooooooooly shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiznit. This is great news!

DemonRoach

Anyone see Mariokart 64 on sales in nintendo club for 200 coins?

Zach Albright

I would love to see the Donkey Kong Country trilogy appear on wii u virtual consol since it dissapered on the wii shop channel.

Tim van Broekhoven

Yeah, I noticed that too… I was really dissapointed because I was planning to buy dkc 1

megaturbocharge

Gamecube games can’t be put on the Wii U. The Wii U gamepad has digital buttons while the Gamecube has Analog.

Th3PANO

how many Games really used the analog triggers? Sunshine and a few others? i guess if you want to play Sunshine you have to buy the first Classic Controller. it has analog “trigger”

Jeffery02

However, the GCN only had 2 triggers while the Wii U has 4, so they can always use L and R as soft pressed L and R and the ZL and ZR as hard pressed L and R. Then Z can be moved to Select. There’s also the Right Click, Left Click, and touch screen if they ever need more.

Kirbyomega

three words: KIRBY AIR RIDE!

Jeffery02

It would be even better if they allow online play since that is one of the few games that supported the GCN network adapter, even if it was only LAN. They allowed you to save your pictures from Pokemon Snap on the Wii’s Virtual Console to the Wii message board after all, so why not?

Kirbyomega

Hah! If they did that, I would spend my days and nights playing this game FOREVER.

https://twitter.com/Zorpix_Fang Zorpix

I’d finally be able to play it. And with online, that’d be awesome

Blake Good

Too bad we can’t play these on the go without having to bring the Wii U with us.

http://facebook.com/imathlin izzy1985

Yea, I’ve made my Wii U a mobile device. It goes with me everywhere as it is often the entertainment of choice for me and my friends

Blake Good

How do you make the Wii U mobile? I’d love to finally play some SNES and N64 games on the go without touching emulators on my Xperia Play Android phone.

http://facebook.com/imathlin izzy1985

Mobile in the sense that I take it over to friends’ houses, not mobile as in “playing on the go.”

CoolBreese

Hook it up to car battery and put it and the Wii U in a backpack.

LUNDTOPA

WIND WAKER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jason Carroll

Still no word on whether or not the Wii’s VC games will play on the gamepad. I don’t think it’s going to happen.

Canyarion

Luckily I never played any of the Wii VC games… but for everybody else’s sake I hope there’s a way to transfer your games.

Part of me thinks it’s reasonable to make users pay half a €/$ per game for the update… but the bigger part thinks those VC prices should drop a lot. NES games fro €5, are you kidding me?

Petri

Yes, I dont see myself paying 5€ for 30 years old video games.

Offering them for free, up to snes and some n64 titles, would not really hurt nintendo either, since nobody would buy 300€ console just to play old video games, and even then, it would mean console sales.

But, more appropriate price for nes games would be 1€ max.

uPadWatcher

I would love to see GameCube titles Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2 and 3, Metroid Prime, Soul Calibur II (featuring Link) and old school 16-bit games that were on Super NES and Genesis.

http://www.facebook.com/diana.le.5454 Diana Le

Windwaker!!! Gale of Darkness!!! Mario Sunshine!!

http://twitter.com/Fillytase Sneferie

According to Screw Attack, Wii games are upscaled to 1080p on the WiiU. I wonder if this will be the case for hypothetical Gamecube VC games too. WW in 1080p would just be amazing…

http://www.facebook.com/AJ.Fowl Andrew Chambers

I can confirm the Wii upscaling. My tv displays the resolution in the corner when I switch to Wii mode. Not all games look much better, but Xenoblade, Other M, and Epic yarn are defiantly improved. Notice that they’re all newer games…Maybe they were planning this.

tronic307

Yes, they are upscaled and it surely looks better, but it’s not like the games are actually being rendered at 1080p, like the Dolphin emulator. The option to play select Wii and Gamecube titles in Wii U mode at a real 1080p would be inspired, even if I had to buy them again.

Zelly Jeffers

I’d easily buy Wind Waker again. Was playing it, for the fourth time, on my Wii just a few months ago. I absolutely adore that game.

Takarashi282

I wish I could like this a hundred times!

Nintendude

I hope they can transfer VC games you have on Wii Mode to normal Wii U mode.

Elem187

Knowing video game companies really well, they will make you repurchase them… sucks but that’s how they maximize profit.

Mario Sunshine, Rogue Squadron 2, Wave Race, Eternal Darkness, Soul Calibor with Link, F-Zero GX, and my no. 1 besides F-Zero is Double Dash!…. It would be nice if wii can get HD upgraded graphics as well, i know it can be done because there are online downloads that can play gamecube & wii in HD on the computer. So dont half step Nintendo!

audie bowler

windwaker 1080 p and wiiremote and chuck controls

http://www.facebook.com/matthew.mendoza.92798 Matthew Mendoza

melee…I want to SHFFL and wavedash all over peoples faces, online

http://twitter.com/Fanboy109 Richard Eberhart

Come on Nintendo you have to have gamecube games because otherwise it would be the same as the wii virtual console with the addition of the gamepad

Srpg2ishere

HOW THE….. You don’t need tv for VIRTUAL CONSOLE now?!!! Omfg. Nintendo impresses me with each and every thing they come up with!!!

sonicfan1373

I hope Nintendo will allow us to transfer the Virtual Console titles form Wii Mode to the Wii U, instead of having to repurchase everything to get the off screen feature and the convenience of accessing the game from the Wii U Menu.

Elem187

Do you really think Nintendo would do that instead of just letting you rebuy the same game again? I mean I had to rebuy games I purchased back in the 80’s/90’s.

https://twitter.com/Zorpix_Fang Zorpix

yeah. actually. Because I didnt have to rebuy my VC games to play them on the wii u. I just transferred them via the wii u transfer tool. it would’ve been easy for them to just charge for that feature. I dont think Nintendo is all about the quick cash in like other companies.

yamiryuu_zero

I’m sorry to bring this up to you guys, but Reggie’s and NoA’s work is to localize games and services to western consumers. The ones who are actually going to make it happen are the heads at Japan. But yes, I believe they have the same thought as Reggie regarding this matter.

Dominic Coradazzi

YAY OFF-SCREEN GAMEPLAY!!!
Oh yeah, just to name a few GC games I’d go with SSB Melee, Windwaker, Mario Sunshine, Double Dash, The Metroid Prime games… uh…yeah, that’s my list for now

http://www.facebook.com/brightstarbeing Charles Figueroa Jr

I just want all of my Wii Virtual Console games to transfer to the Wii U Virtual Console…